Missouri Business Entity Search
Find a registered business through Missouri Secretary of State, Corporations Division. Use the official link below, then check the search options and name rules for Missouri.
Official website: bsd.sos.mo.gov · Opens in a new tab
Missouri search options and record coverage
Missouri's Business Entity Search locates domestic and foreign corporations, LLCs, fictitious names, and related entities by legal or registered name and record information. Records show status, registered agent and office, officers/directors or members/managers where filed, annual reports, and document history. Missouri Business Filings also supports online LLC formation, fictitious-name registration, annual reports, certificates, and certified documents.
Checking a business name in Missouri
Missouri requires a proposed name to be distinguishable from every foreign or domestic business entity registered under Missouri law and requires the appropriate designator; a for-profit corporation must contain corporation, company, incorporated, limited, or an allowed abbreviation. Capitalization, punctuation, spacing, and generic words may not create distinction. Foreign entities whose true name is unavailable must use an assumed name in Missouri.
Missouri name reservations
Missouri name reservation costs $25.00 for most business entities and initially lasts 60 days. It may be renewed or extended twice for another 60 days each, for a maximum 180-day period; after the third period, the same reserver cannot reserve that exact name again. Reservation protects filing priority only, not trademark or marketplace rights.
DBA, trade names, and fictitious names
Missouri requires a Fictitious Name Registration for a person or entity doing business under a name other than its true name. File online at https://bsd.sos.mo.gov/ or through the Fictitious Name forms; renewal is also available online. The current fee should be confirmed in the live form. A fictitious name does not create a new entity or limited liability.
What do you need after the search?
- Official proof of standing — find certificate fees and ordering instructions.
- A missed report or inactive registration — check deadlines and reinstatement rules.
- A new business registration — compare Missouri formation and filing fees.